Portable hold-tip dam



J.'H. HTZ GERALD..

PORTABLE HOLD`-UP DAM.

APPLICATION FILE'D u v 25.1917.

Patented Oct. 14,1919.

. gwunto IH. Fita Gerald j attoz weg i JOHN H; FITZGEEALD, or Room' rom), oo oRADo.

ORTAB E HOLD-UP DAM." V

specificaton of Letters Pate-nt.

Pateted Oct. 14, 1919,

Application filed Ju1y 25, 1917. Serial No. 1s2,712.

To aZlw/wm it may covcem; s i

Be it known that I, JOHN H. FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States, .residing at Rocky Ford, in the County' of Otero, State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements -n Portable Hold- Up 'Dams; and I do hereby declare the followng i to be a full, clear, .and exact-description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and usethe same.: r u i g This invention relates to. an appliance designed particularly for use ,in connection with land irrigation systems and is directed more particularly to a device that may be aptly termed a portable hold-up dam.

In carrying out the present invention it is my prnarv purpose to provide an appliance of the above character the use of which will obviate the necessity for the construction of mud dams or cut-arounds, when it is desired to direct all or ,a ,percentage of the water in the main ditch, into a cross ditch for the purpose ofirrigating a certain area, t

having been found that thiese-,mud-dams or cut-arounds are under certain conditions,

lacking in efiiciency and hence unsatisfactorv. 1 i

A further purpose of the present invention is to provide an appliance' that is simple, l

' acent its upper edge ;is formed with anont-` durable and inexpensive in constructionpis light in weight and collapsible so that it maybe convenently carried; may be quickly and readily installed or removed from a ditch,

and enbodies means through the= medium of WlllCh the quantty of water' passmg through i the main and cross ditches may be accurately regulated.

WVth the above and other objects of similar nature in View, the invention consists in 'the Construction, combination and arrangement of parts, set forth n and falhng Wlth:

in the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawingsz Figure 1 is a top plan view of the appliance properlv. positioned with respect to a main and a cross ditch of an irrigation system, with the handle in lowered or inoperative position. i I

F ia'. 2 is a front View thereof' w'ith the outlet opening partially uncovered, and the handle raised.

Fig. 3 is a View looking from the opposite side of F 2 with the outlet entirely uncovered, the handle also' beingshown lowered, and i i v -Fig. 4: is a perspective View of the appliance removed from the ditch.

Referring'now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, -there is shown the main ditch A anda cross ditch B of an rri gation system, the invention being illustrated generally at C as properly positioned for use with relation to' said ditches;

The 'appliance C consists preferably of a,"

by means of suitable fastening means such as tacks 8, or the like disposed to connect the strips, sheet and bar. The ends of the transverse` bar 6 extend a short'distance beyond the adjacent vertical side edges of the sheet..

5 and are adapted to rest upon the banks of the ditch :in which *the device 'is located whereby to support the latter'in position.

The sheet at its vertical center and ads'` let opening 9 and is reinforced by means ofpl'ates -10 disposed on the respective sides 4 of the sheet and having therein openi ngs ll registeringwith-the opening 9. The plates `310 are preferablymade up of a single section rebent intermediately of its ends and Secured to the fabric sheet 5 and also to the bar 6 by the fastening means 8, the same as the strips 7, as indicated while one of then and B respectively, it being supported at its i upper edge by reason of the transverse restmg upon the banks of the main ditch while it is equipped at its lower corners with stakes 16, attached tothe sheets by a means of ropes 17, and is drawn'tightly across and" to the bottom of the main ditch andheld securely in place by driving said stakes into the ditch wa11s as wi1l be readily underg stood.

ith the appliance so arra nged=in order to direct all or onlya percentage of the water in the main ditch into the cross ditch, the door 14: is adjusted to regulate the size of the opening 9 and in conseq'uence wholly or partiaHy dam, or in other Words retard' the flow of water in the main ditch so that it will be caused to enter and flow along the cross ditch and thus irrigate the desired area. when a suflicient quantity of water has been supplied to a given area the door 14: -may be entirely opened so that the water may flow freeiy through the main ditch, while the appliance may be quickly and conVen-f let opening, a supporting bar Secured to the upper edge portion of the' sheet and projecting at 'its 'ends beyond the side 'edges of the sheet, a pia-te secured adja-cent the upper edgeof thejsheet having anopening registering-with said outlet opening, .,guides on said p1ate, a. door shdable n the' guides L to control the passage of water throughsaid It will be readily understood that openings, and ;anchor stakes carricd by the lower cdrners of the sheet.

2.' A poi-table dam for irrigation systems consisting ofa,flexible sheet having an outlet open'iig'in the "upper portion thereof, a supportingbar secured to the upper edge portion of the sheet and projecting at its endsbeyond the side edges of the sheet, plates secured adjacent to the upper edge of the sheet and at opposite sides thereof, said plates having openings therein registering with said outlet openings,spaced guides on one ofsaid `-p1a tes and eXtending to the upper edges of t he plates, sheet and bar, a door slidable in the guides to control the passage of water through said openings, a handleon the bar, and anchor stakes carried by the lower corners of the sheet.

3. A portab'lehold-up dam comprising a fiexible Water-proof sheet such as canvas, saidsheet having an outlet opening therethrough, a supporting bar to which the upper' edge. portion of the sheet is secured, with the extremities of the bar projecting beyond'the side edges of the sheet, strips secured to the bar over the sheet at spaced points, plates .secured to the sheet and comprising -a sectionrebent over the upper edge of the sheet with its depending portions se cured together and to the sheet, said plates having openings registering With the outlet openings, spaced ofi'set guide strips secured verticallyto the plate at one side, a door slid'able in the guide strips to control the passage of water throughs'aid openings and anchoring means for the lower edge of the sheet.

Intestimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

J H. FIIZGERALD.

VVitnesses :v

MARY J ANDERSQN DAN-mn F. Lewis.

copiesot this patent may be pbtaiediorfivecents each, by ad d essig the f'commissioner of Patents,

wahigton,.n. c.' 

